Hulu Plus, the premium service from the video site owned by ABC, NBC, and CBS, is weighing a 50% price cut, according to All Things Digital. The service would presumably remain the same, but cost only $4.95 per month instead of the current $9.95.

Raise your hand if this is surprising. Go ahead… I'll wait.

No hands? That's what I thought. Back in April, when I wrote about the announcement of Hulu Plus, there was plenty of skepticism in my tone. At the time, I was particularly concerned about them putting content behind a pay-wall while evidence from comScore suggested Hulu was only serving up half as many ads as viewers were willing to endure. It seemed premature to start charging users when there might still be room for increased revenue from advertising.

The service has also faced criticism in the form of comparisons to Netflix—which has a far deeper catalog of movies and televisions shows, as well as multiple delivery options for users. Compare what you get for your 10 bucks at Hulu to what the same amount buys at Netflix, and you'll realize that somebody's price is a bit too high.

So this possible new price cut—and really, at 50%, it's more of a "slash" than a cut—is almost certainly an indication that sales of Hulu Plus subscriptions haven't gone as well as the company had hoped.

The recent controversy surrounding their decision to block the new Google TV devices from accessing Hulu content isn't helping. It seems a little silly to me that I can run an HDMI or VGA cable from my laptop and watch Hulu's programming on my television that way without any problem, but I'm blocked if I use a Logitech Revue instead of my laptop. Isn't it a good thing for Hulu if more people are interested in watching online TV episodes now that they can do so on a large-screen home TV?

At any rate, the issue is a tricky one for Hulu—who sees Google TV as a threat and a competitor, perhaps with good reason—and a price cut might be just what the doctor ordered to help keep loyal fans from staging a mutiny. "Pay no attention to that press about us blocking Google devices, look over here at how drastically we're slashing prices!”

This is all still a rumor, by the way, though All Things Digital seems to trust their sources on the matter. So… what do you say? Does Hulu Plus at $4.95 sound any more attractive to you than it did at $9.95? Anyone out there already a Hulu Plus member that can weigh in on how valuable the service is?

A price cut like this is going to make a splash—if it's real—and should result in some renewed interest from curious users. But Netflix still seems like the superior service in terms of flexibility and depth of content, and I'm not sure a $5 savings per month is going to change that.

About the Author - Jeremy Scott

Jeremy Scott is the founder of The Viral Orchard, an Internet marketing firm offering content writing and development services, viral marketing consulting, and SEO services. Jeremy writes constantly, loves online video, and enjoys helping small businesses succeed in any way he can. View All Posts By - Jeremy Scott

What do you think? ▼

Hulu Plus is now going for $7.99/MONTH with the first week of use a freebie. I'm still thinking that $4.99 would be more reasonable... but time will tell as I just signed up for it today.

http://www.reelseo.com/ Mark Robertson

I totally agree 4.95 is worth it but with Netflix now at 7.99, hulu is just now worth as much.

Utahdvj

I was surprised by how much content was available on free hulu but not pay hulu. I cancelled after the first month.

A_Guest

I signed up for Hulu Plus but did not extend my subscription past a month. It just wasn't worth it in my opinion since I was already a Netflix subscriber.

Some of the pros of Hulu Plus like back episodes of Family Guy, The Office, Arrested Development, etc. were already included in Netflix's service. For most of the shows I was interested in at any rate. Plus, Netflix has a far better selection of movies and is catching up on the devices capable of accessing their library. I was also still seeing ads under the Hulu Plus plan, which I thought could avoid by being a paying member.

Overall, I think Netflix offers much more value than Hulu Plus at this time.

Guest

Viacom is a part owner but no CBS content is on Hulu.

Gabriel

Love hulu plus, at the prices right now I think I'm over paying but it is saving me money at the sametime. I didnt have cable and this is another way for me to watch my shows but with that said I can't watch all my shows like burn notic, rescue me and all my CW shows. Their also should be a better selection of MOVIES.

H

I don't see myself paying more than perhaps 99c to 1.99 per MONTH. ITS ONLY TV EPISODES. I pay 10 bucks a month for my Dvr and I can put on all shows that I need Yo see from the current season. If I want to see older stuff then I have a netflix subscription. Which also gives me tons of movies. So unless hulu plus goes completely advt free not a deal to pay anything to them

http://btopro.com/ Bryan Ollendyke

I have hulu plus and a roku; can't wait til it comes to the device. I think it's worth 10 bucks and if it drops to 60 bucks a year it's a steal! Already dropped digital cable in favor of basic + roku + netflix + hulu+ . Hulu might cut their price as well since Netflix is talking streaming only for 5.99 or something in that range.